Best Independent Bookstores in and around Boston
Boston may be known for its sports teams and revolutionary past, but it is also home to some of the finest and most perusable bookstores in the nation. What follows is a list of five of my favorite indie bookstores in the Boston area.
Brookline Booksmith
Exterior of Brookline Booksmith
Situated smack dab in the middle of Coolidge Corner, Brookline Booksmith is easily accessible and within a stone’s throw of other great local spots. Convenient location aside, this bookshop also boasts wonderful staff recommendations and a cute giftshop that stocks everything from bullet journals to mugs and chocolate. It also has an impressive selection of children’s books, which as an aunt to two toddlers, I very much appreciate.
Info:
279 Harvard St.
Brookline, MA
Brattle Book Shop
People perusing books at one of Brattle Book Shop’s summer sidewalk sales
Brattle Book Shop’s summer sidewalk sales are some of my most anticipated events of the year. At these sales, carts of used books are hauled into the adjacent vacant lot; you can find everything from early 20th-century hardcovers to 1990s mass market paperbacks at bargain rates. Even during colder months, the bookstore is a treat to visit, as it stocks a large quantity of used and rare books from a vast array of genres. I have spent many an hour meandering through its stacks, getting lost amongst its titles.
Info:
9 West St.
Boston, MA
Trident Booksellers and Café
Me browsing the Romance section in Trident Booksellers and Café
A bookshop + café – what’s not to love? You can work up an appetite browsing books and then eat, or if you prefer, you can eat first and then shop for books. The bookshop also hosts a number of events, including Friday night trivia, and it has a fantastic location in the heart of Back Bay on Newbury Street.
Info:
338 Newbury St.
Boston, MA
Harvard Book Store
Exterior of Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store houses a fairly large and diverse collection of titles, but its main draw is its location in beautiful, historic Harvard Square. The surrounding colonial architecture imbues the bookstore with a pleasant, peaceful ambience, and it also makes for a unique shopping experience. I mean, where else can you buy a bestseller within eyesight of the nation’s oldest college? Foodies will also delight in the bookshop’s proximity to a number of tasty eateries and cafés.
Info:
1256 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA
Commonwealth Books
Labyrinth of bookshelves inside Commonwealth Books
Tucked down an unassuming alleyway in downtown Boston, Commonwealth Books is the type of place where simply finding it is half the fun. Once you manage to locate it, you are rewarded with a quaint bookshop filled floor to ceiling with secondhand books. The store also features a collection of antique maps, which are fun to flip through.
Info:
9 Spring Ln.
Boston, MA
This is by no means an exhaustive list; there are many other excellent bookshops in the Boston area. In fact, I think I will have to write a follow-up post in the not-so-distant future.
In the meantime, let me know in the comments section below if you have been to any of these bookstores!
-Julia
P.S. I have finally written a follow-up to this post: Best Independent Bookstores in and around Boston, Part 2.
